Adolescents’ Well-Being and Democratic Parenting: Does Environmental Sensitivity Matter?

<b>Background/Objectives:</b> This study examines the relations between democratic parenting and adolescents' subjective well-being, focusing on the potential moderating role of youth environmental sensitivity. Three environmental sensitivity models (diathesis-stress, vantage sensitivity, differential susceptibility) were tested to unveil the heterogeneity of the effects of democratic parenting on adolescents' subjective well-being according to the type of environmental influences (positive, negative, both positive and negative) youths are more susceptible to. <b>Methods:</b> A sample of 321 Italian adolescents (75% females; <i>M</i>_age = 16.83, <i>SD</i> = 1.35) completed online self-report measures assessing perceptions of democratic parenting, environmental sensitivity, and various dimensions of subjective well-being (positivity, vitality, anxiety, and general health). <b>Results:</b> Three path analysis models were run to evaluate the associations between democratic parenting, environmental sensitivity, and youths' well-being. The results showed that democratic parenting was positively related to adolescents' positivity, vitality, and general health and negatively to anxiety. Adolescents with higher environmental sensitivity reported reduced subjective well-being. A moderating effect of environmental sensitivity was detected such that highly sensitive adolescents had lower general health when democratic parenting was low. <b>Conclusions:</b> These findings support a diathesis-stress model, suggesting that environmental sensitivity might be a vulnerability factor in less supportive environments.